Hardware stub

Intel Skylake CPU Comparison: i3-6300, i3-6100, i5-6600, & i7-6700

Posted on September 7, 2015

The remainder of Intel's Skylake lineup has been fully detailed. To this point, only the i5-6600K ($240) and i7-6700K (which we reviewed) have been announced, with the non-K SKU and Core i3 CPUs lacking details. Below is a table of specs for Intel's new i3-6100, i3-6300, i5-6600, i5-6500, i7-6700, and other Skylake CPUs.

The major items for discussion include the i5-6600 vs. i5-6600K & i5-4670/4690, the i3-6100 vs. the i3-4130, and i7-6700 vs. i7-6700K & 4770/4790.

Starting with the specs:

Intel Skylake CPU Specs Comparison

 i7-6700Ki7-6700i5-6600Ki5-6600i5-6500i5-6400i3-6320i3-6300i3-6100
Cores / Threads4/84/84/44/44/44/42/42/42/4
Base Frequency4.0GHz3.4GHz3.5GHz3.3GHz3.2GHz2.7GHz3.9GHz3.8GHz3.7GHz
Turbo
(Single, Dual, Quad)
4.2GHz
4.0GHz
4.0GHz
4.0GHz
3.9GHz
3.7GHz
3.9GHz
3.8GHz
3.6GHz
3.9GHz
3.8GHz
3.6GHz
3.6GHz
3.5GHz
3.3GHz
3.3GHz
3.3GHz
3.1GHz
N/AN/AN/A
IGPHD 530HD 530HD 530HD 530HD 530HD 530HD 530HD 530HD 530
IGP Base / Max CLK MHz350/1150350/1150350/1150350/1150350/1050350/950350/1150350/1150350/1050
DDR4 Support2133MHz2133MHz2133MHz2133MHz2133MHz2133MHz2133MHz2133MHz2133MHz
DDR3L Support1600MHz1600MHz1600MHz1600MHz1600MHz1600MHz1600MHz1600MHz1600MHz
L3 Cache8M8M6M6M6M6M4M4M3M
TDP91W65W91W65W65W65W47W47W47W
Tj Max100C100C100C100C100C100C100C100C100C
Intel SIPP201520152015201520152015---
Intel TechVT-d
VT-x
AES-NI
vPro
Intel TXT
VT-d
VT-x
AES-NI
VT-d
VT-x
AES-NI
vPro
Intel TXT
VT-d
VT-x
AES-NI
vPro
Intel TXT
VT-d
VT-x
AES-NI
VT-d
VT-x
AES-NI
VT-d
VT-x
AES-NI
VT-d
VT-x
AES-NI
VT-d
VT-x
AES-NI
Package TypeLGA socketedLGA socketedLGA socketedLGA socketedLGA socketedLGA socketedLGA socketedLGA socketedLGA socketed
Price (1k units)$350 Box
$339 Tray
$312 Box
$303 Tray
$243 Box
$242 Tray
$224 Box
$213 Tray
$202 Box
$192 Tray
$187 Box
$182 Tray
$157 Box
$149 Tray
$147 Box
$138 Tray
$117 Box
$117 Tray

Recapping the primary advancements in bullet form:

  • The i3-6300 decreases TDP 7W (47W vs. 54W) over the i3-4300 series, while increasing the clockrate by 300MHz (3.8GHz from 3.5GHz). Price is expected to be about identical, at $147 wholesale for a box of 1000.
  • The i3-6100 decreases TDP 7W (47W vs. 54W) over the i3-4130, while increasing the clockrate by 300MHz (3.7GHz from 3.4GHz). The i3-4160 refreshed CPU sees only a 100MHz clockrate gain. Price is around the same as the Haswell 4100 series, at $117 wholesale for 1000.
  • The i5-6600 decreases TDP 19W (65W vs. 84W) over the i5-4670/4690, while increasing clockrate by 100MHz over the 4670. The price is $202 for a box of 1000.
  • The i5-6600 vs. i5-6600K sees a slight 0.2GHz clockrate decrease (200MHz) and loses OC support, but is expected to be priced ~$20 cheaper. This mirrors Haswell and Ivy Bridge non-K pricing.
  • The i7-6700 decreases TDP 19W (65W vs. 84W) over the i7-4770, while maintaining about the same clockrate (3.4GHz and 3.9GHz Turbo on the Haswell chip, 3.4GHz and 4.0GHz Turbo on Skylake). Price is $312 for 1000.
  • The i7-6700 vs. i7-6700K price disparity is expected around $40 cheaper, with a measurable 600MHz (0.6GHz) clockrate decrease on the 6700 non-K CPU.

Intel also announced its Core M and T-SKU CPUs for mobile and power restrictive configurations. We have not yet looked into mobile Skylake chips, but hope to review some in the future.

The prices and product stack mirror previous generation Intel CPUs pretty closely, with purchasing choices hinging upon whether or not users want to overclock their CPU. The K-SKU CPUs are binned-out to a higher class, granted, but users prioritizing build cost over OC support and bins should consider the new non-K CPUs.

The upstart cost for Skylake, as we've already discussed, is higher given the requirement of DDR4 and a Z170 platform; for this reason, Broadwell and Devil's Canyon (Haswell's 4790, 4690 CPUs) are still worth consideration.

- Steve “Lelldorianx” Burke.